Are you a road warrior who makes a living on the road? Are you responsible for a fleet of vehicles? Are you simply looking for peace of mind when you travel? CellTeks cut its teeth in mobile signal boosting technology and we’ve truly become experts since 2003. We provide mobile solutions for just about anything that has wheels. Pick-ups, RV’s, 5th wheels, food trucks, big rigs, law enforcement vehicles and more. Give us a call if you’d like to discuss a mobile solution for your vehicle. 830-249-8999

Ah, the cell phone battery ─ a thing of myth, of legend… of frustration. So much sway does battery life hold over us that we buy specific phones that guarantee a couple of days’ usage or we find ourselves tethered to a power source. All of this when other devices can eke out a week’s worth of usage (think Amazon Kindle).

Users go to some strange measures to keep their batteries going and going and going. Yet much of what we hear about cell phone batteries is simply not true. Let’s examine some of these misconceptions about the batteries that power the devices we depend upon day in and day out.

1: Batteries have “memory”

Nope, not with the current battery technology. People used to think that you had to “train” your battery to make sure it would take the most charge. To do that, people would drain it regularly and charge it — and they’d never plug it in when it was over 50%. The thought was that over time, the battery would develop a memory and allow for just a percentage of the charge. This is not true today. If your battery is at 80%, top that baby off. Frequent charges will do no damage to your battery.

2: Off-brand chargers will damage your battery

Although some off-brand chargers aren’t optimal (and some even take longer to charge the battery), they will not harm it, as long as the charger is working properly. This means it’s perfectly okay to run to CellTeks and buy a non-OEM charger to replace the factory charger that came with your device. However, if you have an Apple device you should purchase a charger that is approved by Apple. Otherwise, this can lead to annoying messages on your device stating that the “accessory may not be supported”. An exception to this is the charger that shipped with your Droid Turbo. Make sure, when looking for a replacement, you find one made specifically for that device; otherwise, you won’t enjoy the 15-minute charge time that delivers eight hours of usage.

3: Charging your phone overnight will damage your battery

False. Most smartphones are now “smart” enough to know when a battery is at capacity and will stop charging. However, there is one thing you can do to extend the life of your battery. Instead of charging your phone all night, every night, try keeping it charged between 40% and 80% most of the time. This will ensure the longest possible life from that battery. If you can leave it unplugged overnight (every so often), do so.

4: Don’t use your phone while it charges

People seem to think that using a phone while it charges will have a negative impact on the quality of charge the battery gets. But unless you’re using a low-quality knock-off charger, this is not remotely true. Your battery will charge as expected whether or not you use the device. Think about it this way. With smartphones, chances are the only way there is no syncing of data (in one way or another) is if the phone is off. So even when you aren’t using your phone, your phone could be syncing data or running updates. So go ahead and use that phone while it charges.

5: Turning off your phone can damage your battery

Nah. There isn’t even the slightest truth to this. Of course, if you leave your phone off for an extended period of time, the battery will drain (that’s the nature of batteries). But it is perfectly fine to shut that device off every once in a while. You can even shut the device off and (if applicable) remove the battery if you like. No harm will come to the battery. In fact, for some devices, a simple reboot can help to restore battery functionality. So even though that your device runs perfectly fine day in and day out, power cycle it once a week.

6: You should always charge your phone to full before first using it

Many people think that the first thing they should do with a new smartphone is plug it in and charge it to 100%. This is simply a myth. Remember, smartphone batteries work best between 40% to 80%, and since most phones ship at half capacity, you should be good to go out of the box. As a side note: If you fire up your new smartphone for the first time and the battery is below 40%, you might want to consider taking it back because that battery could be very old.

7: Putting your battery in the freezer will extend its life

I remember that back in the 80s, we placed batteries in the freezer for a short period to try to get a bit more life out of them. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now. In fact, Li-Ion batteries are negatively affected by both heat and cold. Room temperature is always the best temperature for your smartphone battery. Remember, those devices already get hot, so there’s no need to expose them to extra heat — and cold is also an enemy of Li-Ion batteries.

Also, make sure you store your device somewhere with airflow. My wife used to place her phone in a sealed plastic baggie when she road her mountain bike. Yes, it’s good to prevent moisture from getting into the device. But sealing all that heat in will affect both the phone and the battery. A word of caution: Heat is much more damaging to batteries than cold is.

8: Using the internet will run down the battery faster than anything else

Not true.* The single most draining thing you can do on your smartphone is gaming. The graphics engines are massive energy drainers. If you game a lot on your devices, dim the screen as much as you can while playing (if you want to extend your battery life). But if you can play that game while charging, go ahead and keep that screen at full brightness.

* This also depends upon what you are using the internet for. If you’re viewing videos through YouTube, online gaming, or doing other graphics-intensive activities, it will drain your battery faster.

9: Turning off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS will prolong your battery

In and of itself, this is false. The only time these services actually drain your battery is if they are in use. So having Bluetooth turned on, when you’re not using a Bluetooth device, isn’t going to drain your battery any more than having Wi-Fi on when you’re not accessing the network. Yes, they may pull an insignificant amount of energy from your battery, but they will not drain it over the course of a day. If you’re really concerned about getting as much life as possible from your battery, dim your screen. Also make sure you set up your apps (especially email and social network apps) on when to alert you. If these are constantly searching for for new mail, posts, etc. your battery can run down fast. You can always come by or call CellTeks for help with this.

10: Task managers help prolong your battery life

As much as I hate to say it, third-party task managers do nothing for battery life that the built-in system can’t handle. Yes, those task managers can whitelist/blacklist tasks. But in the end, they really don’t help your battery any more than the built-in system. You might want to employ a task manager to better control your apps, but don’t assume that third-party manager will extend the life of your battery any better than the default tool.

A better approach

Smartphone batteries and smartphone usage of those energy cells get better every year. But those old-school (and some “new school”) misconceptions simply need to die off. With just the slightest consideration, your battery will last you a long time.

I know what you’re thinking…”the creeps will see me in my bikini” or “they can steal my pic and photoshop horrible things onto it”, etc…etc. While that is a valid concern, there are more pressing issues with that photo. What you DON’T see in your photo is what you need to be concerned with!

Geotagging is a process by which your phone (and some cameras) add information such as coordinates to your photo. Some photo viewers such as Irfanview can show you that information and also show you on Google Maps and/or Google Earth exactly where that photo was taken (give or take 10m in most cases). This may not seem too horrible until you think about your child posting a selfie to Facebook from his/her bedroom. THEN it becomes real, someone views the photo information (EXIF), finds the coordinates to your home, sees what the house looks like in Google Earth and determines your address.

The simple fix is to make sure Location is turned off on your phone before you take your photo. I know…I get you all worked up about privacy and safety and creepy peeping Tom’s and then give you a very easy anticlimactic solution. Sorry, I’m mean like that! Easy fix though, at least you don’t have to be some kind of super genius…now all you have to do is figure how to turn off Location…bwahahahaha…just kidding, it’s in your phone Settings. If you can’t figure it out, give us a call and we’ll be happy to assist.

First and foremost, BACKUP YOUR DATA NOW!!!
Before you have any accidents you need to make sure you back up your information. Remember, if it’s important to you BACK IT UP!
Most smart phones can be set up to back up your data automatically. Whether it is to the iCloud, Google+, an SD card or other means, it is usually simple to set up and then let the phone do the work. It is always good however, to back it up to your computer, flash drive, an SD card or other storage device.
If your phone dies, the info dies with it, BACK IT UP!As soon as you get your phone out of the liquid POWER IT OFF!
The usual reaction is to “check the phone” to see if it still works, DON’T.
Your phone is an electrical device, water does not mix well with electricity. Even a small amount of water in your phone can cause the board to short out or burn small components if the phone is on.
POWER IT OFF!

Rice…great to eat, not so great for liquid damage. Rice does absorb water, it will not however, pull water out of your phone. The small amount of water that the rice would absorb is the same amount that would naturally leak out or wick off if you wrapped it in paper towels. The problem with rice is that it can get in your charge port and headphone jack and cause more damage. It’s not worth it. Leave the rice in the kitchen. Silica beads can be purchased at most craft stores and can be put in small cloth bags. Use those in a plastic bag with the phone and that will draw more water out and do it faster.

Corrosion is the phone killer! The longer you wait to bring it in the more time corrosion has to eat away at vital components of the phone. TIME is vital, so remember Get your phone out of the liquid, power it off, and get it into CellTeks. Even if it looks like it is okay, once liquid is in the phone corrosion starts forming.

When your phone goes in the drink, get it to CellTeks fast! Our experienced technicians give you the best shot at saving your phone and data!

From flip phones to the latest smart phones (even iPhone 6!) our expert Teks can fix it. Whether it’s your broken screen, bad charge port, bad battery or any number of other issues, we have a solution.

Need a quote? Give our Teks a call or CLICK HERE to request a repair estimate and a qualified technician will get back to you promptly with the cost of your repair.

Don’t settle for shotty repair work and inferior parts. We’ve been repairing phones for 20 years and have a great team of expert Teks ready to serve you!

As the world moves forward into more technologically advanced homes, many no longer have land line phones. Mobile phones and devices are the norm, often times with more devices than people being inside the home.

We have also become more conscious and concerned about reducing energy and being more “green”. Recognizing that energy efficient windows is a way to save money, homes and buildings are being built with these types of windows or older structures are being updated with new energy efficient glass.

With that being said, have you noticed a decrease in your cell or wi-fi signal when you are in a home or building that was built in the last few years? Or, did you previously get a great signal in a building but not anymore since the windows were upgraded?

Energy efficient windows are manufactured with metal and aluminum in the glass and frames. The addition of aluminum reflects the heat in the summer and holds heat in during the winter. But, metal and wireless signal don’t function well together. So can you have both energy efficiency and wireless signal in the same building or home?

At CellTeks Signal Boosters, we believe you can. For over 20 years our expert technicians have been helping business and residential customers increase their wireless signal strength. The process starts with an on-site survey and demonstration because every situation is different and no solution is the same.

If you are frustrated with experiencing dropped calls, slow streaming, or having to go outside to use your smartphone, we’d like to hear from you.